Truck and wheel assembly for use with a skateboard

ABSTRACT

A truck assembly for a skateboard includes a single rotating sphere for allowing free movement of the skateboard in a 360° direction. A hanger having a pair of side flat circular bases are provided to receive a wheel assembly having the single rotating sphere facing the ground. The wheel assembly includes a screw element to removable engage a hole provided on the side flat circular base and a fixing element is also provided to prevent the wheel assembly to move around the screw element. The wheel arrangement and the truck assembly of the invention allow a skater to easily interchange the truck assembly without modifying or altering the existing skateboard.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern skateboards have a deck, two metal trucks secured to the bottom of the deck, and wheels placed on the axles of the trucks. Each skateboard wheel is typically mounted to the axles of the trucks with ball bearings traveling in only one direction. In other words, there is no lateral movement with a typical skateboard since the wheels are all aligned and rotate in the same direction.

Skateboarding has developed into an extreme sport where talent and athleticism are usually associated with the extreme performance of skateboarding. Accordingly, skaters seek to find new tricks for the skateboard and a need exists for a skateboard that increases a skateboarder's ability to maneuver on a skateboard so as to invent and perform new tricks.

Thus, there is a need for an interchangeable truck assembly that allows skateboarders to move in any direction increasing the level of performance difficulty comparable to snowboarding without modifying or altering the existing skateboard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel truck assembly that allows a skateboard to freely move around in a 360° direction.

According an aspect of the invention, the truck assembly includes a hanger having left and right flat circular bases, each coaxially aligned with and extending from a left and right end of an axle of said hanger.

In accordance to another aspect of the invention, each flat circular base has a pass-through hole positioned on a center of said flat circular base and extending perpendicular to said axle and at least one opening is positioned on a side near said pass-through hole.

According to still another aspect of the invention, a wheel assembly includes a single rotating sphere protruding from a top surface of said wheel assembly and a screw element extending from a bottom surface opposite to said top surface of said wheel assembly and positioned on a center of said bottom surface.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the screw element is inserted into said pass-through hole securing said wheel assembly to said flat circular bases.

According to one aspect of the invention, the wheel assembly includes a circular lower housing having the screw element and at least one fixing element positioned on a side near said screw element extending from a lower surface of said circular lower housing.

According to another aspect of the invention, the wheel assembly also includes a ball-bearing element positioned inside the circular lower housing.

According to still aspect of the invention, the single rotating sphere rests over the ball-bearing element.

In accordance to yet another aspect of the invention, the wheel assembly also includes a protective element covering a portion of said single rotating sphere and the ball-bearing element.

According to another aspect of the invention, the wheel assembly also includes a circular upper housing coupled to said circular lower housing enclosing said ball-bearing element.

According to one aspect of the invention, the single rotating sphere and the protective element are contained inside said circular lower housing. A portion of said single rotating sphere protrudes from an upper surface of said circular upper housing.

According to another aspect of the invention, a cover element is provided to cover the coupled circular upper and lower housings.

According to still another aspect of the invention, the cover element is formed by a lower cover and an upper cover coupled to the lower cover.

In accordance to yet another aspect of the invention, the circular upper housing has an external thread portion engaging an internal thread portion of the circular lower housing securing said circular lower housing to said circular upper housing.

According to one aspect of the invention, the truck assembly includes a wheel washer and a wheel nut attached to the screw element from a lower surface of the flat circular base securing the wheel assembly to the flat circular base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures showing illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of the skateboard truck assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2a shows an exploded view of the wheel assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2b shows an assembled wheel assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2c shows a cross-sectional view of the wheel assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2d shows a top view of ball-bearing element according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the truck assembly including the wheel assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the truck assembly without the wheel assembly installed according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the truck assembly with the wheel assembly installed according to the present invention.

Throughout the figures, the same reference numbers and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like elements, components, portions or features of the illustrated embodiments. The subject invention will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying figures, in view of the illustrative embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The truck assembly and the wheel assembly according to the invention are shown in FIG. 1, where a baseplate 3 is coupled to a hanger 2 as in a traditional skateboard. However, Applicant's truck assembly comprises a novel wheel arrangement 4 coupled to an axle arrangement of said hanger 2 according to the invention.

The novel wheel arrangement 4 will be explained according to FIGS. 2a-2c . The wheel arrangement 4 comprises a circular lower housing 4 b having round lower corners 4 b′, wherein a screw element 4 c and at least one fixing element 4 d protrude from its bottom surface. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the circular lower housing 4 b is made of stainless steel and measures 2″ of diameter by 1″ height. The screw element 4 c is centered on said lower surface and is preferably made of stainless steel with measurements of ¼″ of diameter by ¾″ long. Preferably, the fixing element 4 d has a rectangular shape and measures ¼″ long by ¼″ height by 1/16″ wide and is provided to couple in a mating relationship with an opening 2 m provided on a circular wheel base 2 j of the hanger 2. The lower housing 4 b further comprises an internal thread (not shown) provided to mate in a male/female relationship with an external thread 4 h″ provided on a circular upper housing 4 h. A ball-bearing element 4 e is positioned inside said lower housing 4 b and is configured to receive a lower portion of a sphere 4 g. The ball-bearing element 4 e is preferably non-lubricated with balls made of stainless steel or a ceramic material. The ball-bearing element 4 e includes a plurality of balls 4 e′ provided so that a bottom portion of the rotating sphere 4 g rests on top of the visible portion of the plurality of balls 4 e′ so that the bottom portion of the rotating sphere 4 g rotates over these balls and never contacts the bottom surface of the lower housing 4 b. The sphere 4 g has a 1″ diameter and is preferably made of polyethylene or any other suitable material used for traditional skateboard wheels, wherein said sphere 4 g is positioned to rest and rotate over said ball-bearing element 4 e so that only a portion of said sphere 4 g is in contact with the balls of said ball-bearing element 4 e. A protective element 4 f is provided to protect said sphere 4 g and said ball-bearing element 4 e from external particulates that might wear or damage those elements. The upper housing 4 h has round upper corners 4 h′ and is provided to enclose all the previously-explained elements inside said lower housing 4 b by means of said external thread 4 h″ and said internal thread of the lower housing 4 b. The upper housing 4 h has an opening 4 h′″ provided on its upper central area where a portion of said sphere 4 g protrudes allowing said truck assembly and a skateboard to freely move around in a 360° direction. The upper housing 4 h preferably measures 2″ of diameter by 1¼″ height including the external thread 4 h″, wherein said opening 4 h′″ has a diameter of ¾″. A lower cover 4 a and an upper cover 4 i are made preferably of polyethylene or any other suitable material with a thickness of 1/16″, are coupled by any known securing means and provided to protect and secure the internal parts of the wheel assembly 4 as well as providing the conventional aesthetics of a traditional skateboard wheel.

FIG. 2b shows the wheel assembly 4 completely assembled where a portion of the sphere 4 g protrudes from one side and the screw element 4 c and the fixing element 4 d protrude from the opposite side. FIG. 2c shows a cross-sectional view where a lower portion of the sphere 4 g can be seen resting over the balls of said ball-bearing element 4 e.

The truck assembly of the present invention can be advantageously mounted on any traditional skateboard as shown in FIG. 3. A washer 2 c and a bushing 2 d are provided between a baseplate 3 and said hanger 2. Specifically, the baseplate 3 is provided with a plurality of openings corresponding to the openings provided on traditional skateboard baseplates so that no modifications that could negatively affect the board stability are required in order to use the truck assembly according to the present invention. Preferably, the baseplate 3 has an elliptical shape where a lower portion has a thickness of ¼″ and measuring 2½ ″ on its widest lateral side and 4″ on its longest side. The baseplate 3 further comprises on its surface four pass-through openings positioned on a rectangular arrangement with a separation of 1⅝″ from side to side and 2 1/16 from top to bottom just as conventional truck assemblies available on the market. The baseplate 3 also has a pivot hole 3 a on its upper surface with a preferred diameter of 1″ and a pass-through opening 3 b configured to receive a kingpin 2 b. In a preferred embodiment said kingpin 2 b comprises a stainless steel screw with a hexagonal head and having a preferred diameter of ⅜″ and a length of 1¾″ that includes a threaded end of ¾″. As shown on FIG. 3, a stainless steel lower washer 2 c and a lower barrel bushing 2 d are provided between said baseplate 3 and said hanger 2 coaxially aligned with said pass-through opening 3 b, so that said lower barrel bushing 2 d is positioned inside a lower opening 2 f on said hanger 2 providing the necessary damping against impact and forces normally associated with the use of a skateboard. According to a preferred embodiment, the lower washer 2 c has an internal diameter of ⅜″, an external diameter of ⅞″ with a thickness of 1/16″ and the lower barrel bushing 2 d is made of polyethylene and has an internal diameter of ⅜″, an external diameter of 1″ with a thickness of ½″. As can be appreciated on FIG. 3, a pass-through opening 2 g is provided inside said lower opening 2 f and another set of stainless steel upper washer 2 c and upper barrel bushing 2 d are provided at an opposite side of said hanger 2 also coaxially aligned with said pass-through openings 3 b and 2 g, so that said upper barrel bushing 2 d is positioned inside an upper opening 2 f (not shown) on said hanger 2. Finally, a stainless steel security kingpin nut 2 e with an inner diameter of ⅜″ is provided to mate with the threaded end of said kingpin 2 b screw when said screw is inserted into said pass-through openings 3 b and 2 g and said upper and lower sets of washers and bushings to tight said hanger 2 against said baseplate 3. The hanger 2 further comprises a round pivot element 2 h protruding form said hanger 2, where a pivot bushing 2 i is positioned between pivot bushing 2 i and a pivot hole 3 a providing the necessary damping against impact and forces normally associated with the use of a skateboard. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, pivot element 2 h has a diameter of ½″ and a depth of ½″. The truck assembly according to the present invention is made of a metal allow that supports pressures, forced and loads typical for the sport of skateboarding.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hanger 2 has a pair of axle ends 2 k ending in a flat circular wheel base 2 j having a pass-through hole 2 l configured to receive the screw element 4 c of said wheel assembly 4. In addition, the fixing element 4 d is configured to be inserted into the opening 2 m on said wheel base 2 j to ensure that the wheel assembly 4 stay stationary and don't move around said kingpin screw 2 b. Once the screw element 4 c is inserted into said pass-through hole 2 l and said at least one fixing element 4 d is inserted into said opening 2 m, a wheel washer 4 j and a wheel nut 4 k are provided to secure and tight said wheel assembly 4 against said wheel base 2 j as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. According to a preferred embodiment, the wheel base 2 j measures 2″ diameter by ¼″ wide and said pass-through hole 2 l has a diameter of ¼″, wherein the at least one opening 2 m comprises a pair of rectangular openings positioned on the sides of said pass-through hole 2 l measuring ¼″ long by 1/16″ wide. The wheel washer 4 j has a preferred internal diameter of ¼″, an external diameter of ¾″ and a thickness of 1/16″, wherein the wheel nut 4 k measures ¼″.

As can be appreciated from FIGS. 4 and 5, the wheel assembly 4 is aligned and coupled to the wheel base 2 j, wherein the wheel screw 4 c is inserted into the pass-through hole 2 l and the fixing elements 4 d are inserted into the openings 2 m so that the wheel assembly 4 and the wheel base 2 j are aligned flush to each other and secured with the wheel nut 4 k.

Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to the foregoing exemplary embodiment, this embodiment does not serve to limit the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will appreciate that various modifications and equivalents are possible, without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. 

1. A truck assembly for a skateboard comprising: a static hanger including a central axle and left and right flat circular bases extending from left and right ends of said central axle, respectively, each of said left and right flat circular bases has a pass-through hole positioned on a center of said flat circular base that extends perpendicular to the direction of said central axle, wherein the pass-through holes are aligned with a longitudinal axis of said central axle, at least one fixing opening being positioned on a side near said pass-through hole; and a left and right wheel assembly, each including a single rotating sphere protruding from a top surface of said wheel assembly, a screw element extending from a bottom surface opposite to said top surface of said wheel assembly and positioned on a center of said bottom surface and at least one fixing element positioned on a side near said screw element and extending from said bottom surface opposite to said top surface, wherein the screw element is inserted into said pass-through hole securing said wheel assembly to said flat circular bases and said at least one fixing element is inserted into said at least one fixing opening preventing rotation of said wheel assemblies.
 2. The truck assembly of claim 1, wherein each of said wheel assemblies comprises: a circular lower housing having said screw element and said at least one fixing element extending from a lower surface of said circular lower housing; a ball-bearing element positioned inside said circular lower housing; said single rotating sphere resting over said ball-bearing element; a protective element covering a portion of said single rotating sphere and said ball-bearing element; and a circular upper housing coupled to said circular lower housing enclosing said ball-bearing element, said single rotating sphere and said protective element contained inside said circular lower housing, so that a portion of said said single rotating sphere protrudes from an upper surface of said circular upper housing.
 3. The truck assembly of claim 2, wherein a cover element is provided to cover said coupled circular upper and lower housings.
 4. The truck assembly of claim 3, wherein said cover element comprises a lower cover and an upper cover coupled to said lower cover.
 5. The truck assembly of claim 2, wherein said circular upper housing has an external thread portion engaging an internal thread portion of said circular lower housing securing said circular lower housing to said circular upper housing.
 6. The truck assembly of claim 1, further comprising a wheel washer and a wheel nut attached to said screw element from a lower surface of said flat circular base securing said wheel assembly to said flat circular base. 